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Cheetah-Cub, a Swiss Cat that Runs Like a Robot. No, wait…

Ahhh, Switzerland. Not only Europe’s centralized hub for chocolate, cheese, watches, banking, and international apolitical neutrality (so lucky), the nation also boasts two of the finest science and engineering schools on the planet. N[...]
Cheetah-Cub, a Swiss Cat that Runs Like a Robot. No, wait…

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Japanese Robots: Honda’s High-Access Survey Robot Goes to Work in Fukushima. Finally Some Action for (parts of) ASIMO!

The first signs of trouble at Fukushima were quickly followed by expectations of an action-ready ASIMO leaping to the rescue. Honda’s humanoid remains far from able, but their new High-Access Survey Robot is on the job, and of so[...]
Japanese Robots: Honda’s High-Access Survey Robot Goes to Work in Fukushima. Finally Some Action for (parts of) ASIMO!

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Japanese Robots: On DARPA, SCHAFT, and the Peace Constitution (and bad reporting)

One could reasonably assume Japan’s impressive array of supertech humanoid robots would swarm the inspired-by-Fukushima DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), but Tokyo University spin-off SCHAFT Robotics is it. DARPA’s militariness and[...]
Japanese Robots: On DARPA, SCHAFT, and the Peace Constitution (and bad reporting)

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Honda Ships 100 Walking Assist Stride Management Wearable Robot Thingys

Honda’s Walking Assist with Stride Management: Coming to a Hospital Near You! If, that is, you’re connected to one of 50 Japanese medical institutions now testing and evaluating a pair of the semi-robotic exoskeletal assistive devices.[...]
Honda Ships 100 Walking Assist Stride Management Wearable Robot Thingys

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Putting Your Finger in this Japanese Robot is a Step Toward Actual Virtual Reality

Welcome to Touchable TV! In addition to showcasing their 8K, 7680×4320, Ultra-High-Def (Ridiculous-Def?) TV broadcasting kit last weekend, Japan’s NHK also demoed a haptic feedback device that simulates virtual 3D objects in real time.[...]
Putting Your Finger in this Japanese Robot is a Step Toward Actual Virtual Reality

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Dr. Kanako Miura Made Robots Walk Like Humans. She Will be Missed.

While riding her bike on Sunday, May 19th, at approximately 3:30pm, highly accomplished and well-regarded robotics researcher Dr. Kanako Miura was struck by a large truck near Charlesgate Park in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Bost[...]
Dr. Kanako Miura Made Robots Walk Like Humans. She Will be Missed.

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Japanese Technology from the Future Friday!

This week Square mobile payment comes to Japan, super-green Kitakyushu & UNIDO join forces to make clean cities, Japanese research groups are Joining the European Human Brain Project, and some really unfortunate and sad news in the[...]
Japanese Technology from the Future Friday!

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Japanese Robot Art: Nice to Look At, and Don’t Forget the Inspiration!

Japanese Robot Art – It’s Good, Man! Illustration, product packaging, statues & sculpture, and even some transhumanist pin-ups; for decades Japan’s been pounding out the robot art like nobody’s business. Last week[...]
Japanese Robot Art: Nice to Look At, and Don’t Forget the Inspiration!

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Pacific Rim and the Legacy of Giant Japanese Robots

A Slice of Giant Japanese Robot Lineage: With a marketing campaign aimed at pretty much any human being with electricity, high levels of robo-geekery aren’t at all required for one to be aware of this summer’s giant robot & monster[...]
Pacific Rim and the Legacy of Giant Japanese Robots

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Top 4 Robot-Themed Short Films of 2013 (thus far)

2013’s Top 4 Robot Short Films Japan’s yearly Golden Week, a 10-day stretch of spring garnished with national holidays, tends to shut down almost every industry save tourism & travel. Of course this includes J-robotics movers and s[...]
Top 4 Robot-Themed Short Films of 2013 (thus far)

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Japan’s Taking Robot Action: Honda, Sekisui House, and New Government Funding

Everyday Robots, the Ones That Have Forever Been Coming… They Might Actually Get Here? Well, in Japan, anyway. Two massive companies and one or two government agencies have assembled some intriguing and aggressive robot launchpad[...]
Japan’s Taking Robot Action: Honda, Sekisui House, and New Government Funding

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Japan’s Kuratas vs. The U.K.’s Mantis: Pure Science Robot Showdown!

Have you heard of the robot maker species that doesn’t need a grand research goal, isn’t motivated by government competitions or corporate interests, and doesn’t necessarily care if their efforts result in profit? Japanese [...]
Japan’s Kuratas vs. The U.K.’s Mantis: Pure Science Robot Showdown!

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The Saddest Robots in Japan Live Among the Sins of Sony

Google Me This: What Ever Happened to Sony’s Robots? Okay, check it out: so there’s this massive, global technology company, and about 14 years ago they decide to make a few robots. Turns out they create some really smart, cutting-edge[...]
The Saddest Robots in Japan Live Among the Sins of Sony

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Japan’s Creepiest Robots (and why they’re not)

We’re rolling, and 3, 2, 1 – ACTION: “Gee-whiz Bob, those crazy Japanese robot guys are at it again, how about a ridiculous soundbite and poorly executed pun, and hey, here’s an unoriginal one-liner, ha, ha, ha, those Japanese an[...]
Japan’s Creepiest Robots (and why they’re not)

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Japan’s Robot Cars: Where’s this Road Going?

Optimus Prime, Hot Rod, and Ultra Magnus. These are all robot cars from the Transformers franchise rooted in early 1980s Japan. Somewhat disappointingly, here in realityland it looks like Japan’s real robot cars will have names like Ni[...]
Japan’s Robot Cars: Where’s this Road Going?

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Japan’s Industrial Robotics Situation: it’s Interesting. Seriously!

Sweet, More J-Robots! …Oh. Industrial Robots? Okay, today will not be heroic rescue & recovery robots, nor life-changing assistive robots for the disabled and elderly. No, today we’re talking Japan’s industrial robots, and th[...]
Japan’s Industrial Robotics Situation: it’s Interesting. Seriously!

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Dear Assistive Robot Industry, We Need You! Sincerely, Rapidly Aging Japan.

  Okay, so what’s an assistive robot? Well, they’re a lot more cool and useful and tech than it might sound. Think of them more like… social robots, or maybe cybernetic enhancements, or, some years down the road, but not too[...]
Dear Assistive Robot Industry, We Need You! Sincerely, Rapidly Aging Japan.

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Japan’s Robot Renaissance (Fukushima’s Silver Lining)

All of Japan took a few moments Monday to pay respect to the losses suffered in the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster of March 11, 2011. As human beings we move forward, and we work to find the good even in terrible situations. In[...]
Japan’s Robot Renaissance (Fukushima’s Silver Lining)
Japan’s Robot Renaissance (Fukushima’s Silver Lining)Japan’s Robot Renaissance (Fukushima’s Silver Lining)Japan’s Robot Renaissance (Fukushima’s Silver Lining)

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Panasonic subsidiary, Activelink, in alliance with Mitsui Corp. to make exoskeleton power-assist robots

To expand their capabilities in the power-assist robot business, Panasonic subsidiary, Activelink Co., Ltd. and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. agreed to form a business and capital alliance. Activelink was established as a subsidiary company [...]
Panasonic subsidiary, Activelink, in alliance with Mitsui Corp. to make exoskeleton power-assist robots
Panasonic subsidiary, Activelink, in alliance with Mitsui Corp. to make exoskeleton power-assist robotsPanasonic subsidiary, Activelink, in alliance with Mitsui Corp. to make exoskeleton power-assist robotsPanasonic subsidiary, Activelink, in alliance with Mitsui Corp. to make exoskeleton power-assist robots

Via Panasonic

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Kirobo, the Robot Astronaut – KIBO ROBOT PROJECT – Robot to join the International Space Station team

We recently wrote about a robot named Robi who is a member of the Japanese family. Now, Dentsu Inc. has announced the names “Kirobo” and “Mirata” for two humanoid communication robots being developed under the K[...]
Kirobo, the Robot Astronaut – KIBO ROBOT PROJECT – Robot to join the International Space Station team
Kirobo, the Robot Astronaut – KIBO ROBOT PROJECT – Robot to join the International Space Station teamKirobo, the Robot Astronaut – KIBO ROBOT PROJECT – Robot to join the International Space Station teamKirobo, the Robot Astronaut – KIBO ROBOT PROJECT – Robot to join the International Space Station teamKirobo, the Robot Astronaut – KIBO ROBOT PROJECT – Robot to join the International Space Station team

Via KIBO ROBOT PROJECT

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DeAGOSTINI – Robi – Charming Robot and member of the family that you can assemble by yourself

DeAGOSTINI Japan, a publisher that issues a weekly magazine specializing in collectable items, launched “Robi”, the friendly robot that wants to be part of the family. He can understand more than 200 words so he listens to [...]
DeAGOSTINI – Robi – Charming Robot and member of the family that you can assemble by yourself
DeAGOSTINI – Robi – Charming Robot and member of the family that you can assemble by yourself

Via DeAGOSTINI

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Toshiba – Prototype of nuclear decontamination robot (from The Japan Times)

In Japan, since the nuclear disaster that began in 2011, innovation and development has been put into the cleanup effort. Here is a video from Japan Times that shows a prototype of a decontamination robot developed by Toshiba Corporati[...]
Toshiba – Prototype of nuclear decontamination robot (from The Japan Times)
Toshiba – Prototype of nuclear decontamination robot (from The Japan Times)

Via The Japan Times

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